In Honduras, they take extension chains seriously. An extension chain is what’s described in 2 Timothy 2:2: And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
One person shares Jesus with another person, who in turn shares it with another person, who in turn shares it with another person. If someone down the chain isn’t functioning, they call it a missing link or a broken link.
As someone who rides a bike, I can tell you that if the chain on your bike breaks, the whole bike becomes nonfunctional. You have to fix the link of the chain that broke to make it work again. When I ride, I carry a spare link for the chain, plus a chain removal tool so I can remove the pin and put the chain back together.
It’s the same thing when a 2 Timothy 2:2 extension chain breaks. You have to out and get them activated again or replace them with someone who will lovingly obey.
In an area of remote villages, like rural Honduras, each person in the chain also represents a whole church. There was no electricity or phone communication when this chain started. They kept track of it through relationships, and a missing link meant that communication was broken, leaving everyone else further down the chain isolated.
In an environment like this, they take faithfulness to 2 Timothy 2:2 very seriously. They can’t just say, “We’ll go on without you,” because the whole thing doesn’t work if one link is missing.